In the following excerpt, Carter examines three autobiographical texts by female authors: The House on Mango Street, by Cisneros, In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens, by Alice Walker, and Your Native Land, Your Life, by Adrienne Rich. Carter asserts that in each tale, the protagonist draws from a “bittersweet” past in a transformative process of self-empowerment to develop a newly emergent sense of personal identity.

This writing begins simply, in gratitude. I have found three wise women artists whose works of great beauty and insight have helped me on my way. Each one shares a story of a difficult journey back to her past to fully claim her creative powers. In so doing, each one befriends all of us who dare (or wish to dare) to undertake such journeys...